The Audio Cultivation Project PALA Compressor started as a commission for a transparent compressor without the pumping common to OTA-based designs, then spent three more years in development. It’s still a compressor, but evolved to capture the feel of a loud amp in a reverberant room — that clean, edge-of-feedback phenomenon, within analog limits. Its preamp is loosely based on a Bassman 10 with ultra-linear transformer: dry, slightly trashy, unique.
It also works as a standard compressor. In highest headroom mode, preamp clipping is bypassed and it handles up to 5V peak-to-peak signals without distortion. It drives 10K ohm loads with no frequency loss, making it at home with line-level gear as well as guitar and bass. EQ controls include a treble control with 10dB boost/cut, plus an adjustable dry low-passed path for bass, keys, and other instruments.
